Stealing from the Robin's Nest
by unmitigated.disaster
Summary: Ever looked forward to something? Something out of character , but you don't care 'cause you want it so much? Like a chance to prove you are something. Then someone you care about takes it. Then things get really bad , because of that thoughtless person - Robin's careless decision lands Raven in mortal danger , as the plaything of a notorious criminal.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi , this is my first ever multi-chapter story and also a slightly darker storyline for me , please , please , please review :(. I hope everyone likes it**

**Stealing from the Robin's Nest**

**Chapter 1**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Sigh. *_that sigh seemed to come from the bottom of my toes* _thought Raven, slapping her alarm clock.

*_well, better get up* _hauling herself into an upright position, she swung her longs legs over the side of the huge bed dominating the centre of her room.

Getting out of bed seemed harder somehow, these days anyway, Raven had a growing sense of loneliness in her chest; it was like a cosmic tear threatening to swallow her whole.

Shaking her head as if to clear it, she stood up, a little too quickly, stretching her arms high above her head, satisfied with the crisp cracks her joints gave, she trudged to the bathroom for a comforting, warm shower to wash away the sleep.

"AHHHHH…" the shower was one of Raven's favourite places, aside from a select few reading spots, book stores and this little café on fifth.

The shower is so private and warm, an excellent place to think and get yourself together or fall apart, sometimes all at once.

Turning the tap to shut off the water, she stepped out onto the soft, cotton bathmat while grabbing a towel from the radiator.

The bathroom was misty from the steam and in the mirror Raven had an angel-like glow through the layer of condensation and soft lighting. *_not very befitting for a half demon*_ she snorted wiping through the steam on the mirror.

After she had finished in the bathroom and selecting clothes, after a little debate she went with blue skinnies and a cream cashmere sweater with a flattering V-neck, along with tan leather boots with a comfortable heel. The thing most people overlooked in Raven was her attention to style and her ability to fill out a sweater. *_and I do both damn well_* she thought, smiling to herself in what seemed like forever.

Melting through the floor into the kitchen, she landed directly behind Speedy, who was looking rather confused and disgusted by a box of Beast Boy's weird vegan cereal, before going with lucky charms.

"Morning Speedy"

"Jesus Rae!" Speedy jumped, knocking his spoon out of the bowl

"I always forget you're like a fucking ninja or something" he said picking up his spoon while Aqualad sniggered at him.

"I prefer graceful, but thanks Speed" she remarked, reaching for her favourite mug.

Over the last few days Titan Tower had become a hub of excited superheroes as Jump city and the other titan's cities were honouring the titans in a ball this weekend and as Jump city titans were the originals, Jump was hosting, which meant that the tower was full of all their friends and was noisy, very, very noisy.

Grabbing her tea and book from where she'd left it last night Raven moved to her spot in the living room. In the corner, beside the glass wall, overlooking the view of the titan island shoreline was a plush, worn, leather armchair. The deep burgundy material was soft and the strong, gilded arms were the perfect size for a tea cup.

"Hey Rae, we're going to get final fittings and stuff done for tonight, you wanna come?" said Bumblebee

"Sure, sounds great, when?"

"Um…we'll probably get going after breakfast and whenever Star gets her butt in gear!"

"Please, friend. Five…more…min…" slurred a sleepy Starfire, who was sleeping on the sofa.

"C'mon girl! GET UP!" shouted Karen, dragging the Tamaranian's legs off the end of the couch.

"C'mon Star! We're going to the mall!"

"The mall of shopping?" perked up; Starfire was practically glowing at the prospect of the mall

"Eeeeeeeeep! I must go dress at once!" said the alien princess, flying off to apply copious amounts of lip gloss.

"Thought that'd get her going" laughed Bumblebee

"Did someone say you guys were going to the mall?" came a deep, manly voice that was slightly huskier due to sleep, Raven would know it anywhere.

Turning around in her chair, just in time to see him slip a grey shirt on over the flat planes of his chest and ab's…

Raven swallowed, hard. Her throat was suddenly dry.

"Yeah we're gonna head soon as Star's ready" answered Karen

"Great, can you pick up my tux for tonight?"

"Sure, who's your tailor?"

"Oh, don't worry Rae knows all my stuff, right Rae?" he quipped in Ravens direction, flashing her the almost heart-breaking smile.

"Mhmm" *_of course I know your tailor and the exact colour of your eyes and how you…OK STOP! Before you start drooling or god forbid blush, in public!* _she scolded mentally, regaining her composure.

"Friends, I am ready to depart to the mall of shopping" Starfire appeared in an outfit of pink and sparkly, *_nothing new there then_* thought Raven, as much as she loved Star, she was almost painfully pink.

"Ok, guys I'll meet you in the car, I just gotta grab my stuff"

Upstairs Raven grabbed her purse, leather jacket and the long, white suit bag which held her dress for the ball.

"Guys I'll see you later, don't play video games ALL day, remember we have places to be" Raven addressed the band of slouching teenage boys in various poses of laziness.

"M'kay, have fun" said Cyborg, too deep in gaming with Beast Boy to look at her

Rolling her eyes and turning towards the garage, Raven almost didn't see Robin standing directly behind her

"Oooo, is that your dress for tonight?" ribbed Boy Wonder, leaning over the kitchen counter, waggling his eyebrows

"Yes" she deadpanned, determined not to smile

"Can I see?" he continued, giving her a cheesy grin as he moved to stand in front of her

"No" she went to move around him

"C'mon Rae! It's not like we're getting married!" he said with a mock deflated look on his masked face.

"Oh would you two get a room!" called Beast Boy from the couch

Robin grinned at BB while jumping on the couch opposite. Raven just called a quick goodbye while hurrying out of the room to hide her blush *_damn BB!_*


	2. Chapter 2

**Stealing from the Robin's Nest**

**Chapter 2 **

"AHHH! Friends look!" exclaimed Starfire for the millionth time since they got to the mall, five minutes ago.

"No! Star we have an itinerary! In, out. That's the plan" said an already exasperated Karen, for someone who managed a team of idiot superhero boys; she sure got strung out by Starfire's girly air-headedness.

"C'mon guys, the tailors is over here, then we can get coffee to regroup" everyone followed Raven

"I don't know how you do that" sighed Karen

"What?"

"Make people listen"

Raven felt like a bigger lie had never been spoken, she could hardly make people listen when the one person she wanted to exclaim her feelings for was so deaf to her every word…

"Yeah, Jedi mind tricks" she chuckled to cover her moment of serious thought.

Inside the tailors, each girl in turn tired on her dress and the final adjustments were pinned together to be stitched. Karen went with a sophisticated, high neck black dress. Star, to no one's surprise, went with a sequinned pink number, slashed to the naval. Jinx opted for a short prom dress in her colours.

When it was Ravens turn she walked behind the screen and unzipped the long, white bag and slipped into the dress.

The other girls were gathered in mindless chatter and when Raven stepped onto the small step in front of the six full length ballet mirrors, a silence fell on the group.

"Wow, Rae…" Karen was blindly staring at Raven, while the others stood slack jawed.

Even Raven had to admit the dress was something else. The chiffon material was layered black, ivory and champagne so when the light caught it, it shone like liquid gold. The front was fitted but flowed, it draped across Raven's collarbones in a straight cut, dipping slightly. It cinched at the waist with a straight skirt that foamed all the way to the floor, the dress was backless, showing of the pale expanse of skin and smooth contours of Raven's back.

"Where did you find…that?" gapped Jinx.

"This little vintage store I found in Paris" Raven had to admit the dress was the crown jewel of her collection and tonight it would have its moment.

"Trust you to have an amazing Parisian dress Rae" said Jinx with light-hearted envy.

"Right, Raven dear are you ready?" this was the sweet voice of Dot, the tailor Raven had been coming to since forever.

"Sure am Dot"

"Well…aren't you something" Dot paused to admire Raven.

"Doooot, you've seen this before" whined Raven slightly, Dot reminded her of a doting Grandmother she never had

"Yes but, **that**, m'dear is a dress that is a knock out every time!"

Dot measured Raven's waist and bust, pinning as she went along.

In the weeks coming up to the ball Raven had had several fittings, each time Dot had to cinch the dress a little more, the loneliness had taken a toll on Raven's appetite, which took its toll on the dress.

"There we are, just a nip and a tuck and it'll be perfect for tonight"

"Thanks Dot"

"You girls call back in…oh say an hour? And you'll be good to go"

Walking out of the shop, Jinx whispered to Raven, "An hour? God she's good"

"I know" Raven was glad they were impressed with Dot, she meant a lot.

After coffee and lunch, the girls collected their dresses and got all necessary treatments for the night ahead – facials, mani/pedi's , extra makeup and in the case of Starfire , a spray tan because she apparently wasn't orange enough already.

As the girls were heading back to the car, laden down with bags Raven suddenly remembered "Oh wait guys I have to get Rob's suit, I'll meet you in the car"

Walking into the store Raven was greeted by Henry, the receptionist.

"Mr Robin's suit, I presume?"

"You got it Henry"

"Very good Miss Raven, I'll be right out with it" he smiled his small, tight smile.

*_I always liked him_* thought Raven.

By the time the girls got home it was dinner time and even though a full sit down meal was being served at the ball the boys still insisted on ordering pizza while the girls retreated to their rooms to start prep for the night ahead.

Gently pulling the brush through her lashes, Raven was almost finished with her gentle smoky eye. Lifting the eyelashes carefully of the tray, she applied glue to the strip, I know what you're thinking, Raven? False eyelashes? She didn't wear a lot of makeup often but when Rae did, she went all out. And if you think eyelashes look cheap, believe me they didn't on Raven.

Placing them on her eyes, one by one, holding down each corner until the glue fixed them firmly in place. They tied the whole look together.

Next she took the setting pins out of her violet hair, letting the vintage curls fall over her shoulders. After arranging them and pinning back one side she was ready for the final step. The dress.

Stepping into the dress, after removing her robe, revealing suspenders and matching underwear, Rae fastened the hooks and zipped the hidden side zip.

Standing in the full length mirror she took it all in, the dress. Her. This was her and she looked, beautiful. No one could take that away from Raven, she smiled and felt excited to be going to stand on a red carpet where people could see her and beg for her photo.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Rae, you ready?" Beast Boy's voice came from the other side of her door, pulling her out of her trance.

*_deep breath Rae, you can do this_*

"Guys! This tie is broken!" Beast Boy was struggling with his bowtie and the bowtie was winning.

"Gimme! It's a shoelace knot BB" Cyborg stepped in all big brother like, these moments between BB and Cy were rare and adorable.

Just then the metal automatic doors opened to reveal an image of beauty, Raven walked in thinking she would go unnoticed, and then, just like in the tailors, a silence fell. All the titans in the room turned to look at her.

"Woah" Speedy was the first to break the silence.

"Yeah Rae…wow" Cyborg concurred, in a completely platonic way.

"You look amazing Rae!" screamed Karen, running to hug her.

Raven, not used to the attention just smiled and the room smiled back.

"Hey guys, I was just thinking -" Robin entered from the garage and followed everyone's line of sight.

"Woah Rae…ya look good" Boy Wonder seemed to momentarily loose brain function.

*_Good? Pffft, I look more than good, even if I do say so myself birdbrain_*

"Anyway, guys I was just thinking there isn't going to be anyone on patrol tonight"

"So? Can't we just ditch for one night?" said Speed

"No, this event has been publicised for weeks, it's a prime opportunity for villains to make a move" Robin replied, in his "team leader" voice.

There was a silence in the room.

"Sooo…whose it gonna be?" asked BB, the dreaded question.

"Well, I was thinking…" Robin began; his head seemed to turn in slow motion

*_no, it won't be…he wouldn't_*

"Rae, that you'd do it" he didn't ask, he just said it. Like she didn't have a say.

"Rob, dude that's not fair" Aqualad said defending her chances

"Nahh, c'mon Rae doesn't mind" Robin said with frat boy nonchalance, *_he didn't even ask me_*

Raven knew her face had fallen; her eyes were threatening to overflow and give everything away.

Her mind raced, *_how could he…he never listens! Never!_*

Anyone who looked at Raven's delicate face could see she was shattered by what he said, but Robin wasn't looking at her, he was looking everywhere but.

"Rob, I don't think…" began Jinx, shaken by the sadness so apparent on Raven's face

"Guys! Everyone into the cars or we're going to be late and guests of honour can't be late!" said Robin cutting her off, sheep dogging everyone out.

The titans, casting a last look over Raven, slowly, hesitantly, moved out into the garage

The girls were last to leave, especially guilt-ridden by what _Robin_ was doing without a second thought

"Girls c'mon! What part of 'guests of honour' don't you get?" when they finally filed out with Robin following he called "Bye Rae, don't wait up" placing his hand on the small of Starfire's back on his way out the door, without a second glance in Raven's direction.

She stood there, frozen - by anger and an overwhelming sadness and disappointment at Robin's behaviour.

Then her eyes gave way and the tears flowed, she crumpled to the floor like a wilted flower, crying till she couldn't anymore. Until she was numb and it was _his_ fault.

Eventually, after sitting on the living room floor for god knows how long, Raven got up and went to her room, almost on autopilot.

Robotically unzipping the dress, she let it drop to the floor , stepping over it, kicking off her heels and tearing the pins out of her hair, leaving the components of a would be perfect night in a bread crumb trail of undoing.

Sigh.

It was a deep, heavy sigh that escaped as she opened her wardrobe to lift out a leotard and cloak, mourning the glamour she wore only moments ago.

Slipping the cloak over her shoulders, Raven sat on the edge of her bed and a few more tears slipped out then with a sharp breath she picked herself up and teleported to her usual post to begin patrol.

Please, please, please review :D i will be eternally grateful


	3. Chapter 3

**Stealing from the Robin's Nest**

**Chapter 3**

It was cold.

It was a cold, horrible night and it was Robin's fault.

Although he might think he's god's gift, Raven was pretty sure he couldn't control weather but regardless of his meteorological inabilities it was his fault Raven was perched on top of this building looking out across the Jump City skyline.

It had been an hour since she started patrol and there was nothing. Not a peep. The inactivity of the resident Jump City criminals was adding to Raven's anger, the one night she actually would want some creep to pick a fight and they've all decided to lay low.

Looking down at her manicured hand Raven sighed yet again, remembering what she was missing.

Having decided that this part of Jump wasn't in any danger Raven teleported to her next check point.

-Jump City Museum-

"ROBIN! OVER HERE"

"Get in beside Starfire! Beautiful!"

"Can we get one of just the Jump Heroes?"

The paparazzi clicked and whirred at their camera causing a mass explosion of blinding light.

Robin loved the red carpet, he loved people looking at him and begging for a photo.

"Robin! Robin! Hi, Gail from channel 5"

A tall, slender woman with dark eyes and lipstick on her teeth walked over to Robin with her 'I'm-so-happy-it-hurts' TV smile primed on her face.

"Gail, hi" Robin charmed

"So, Robin how do you feel about being honoured by the city with the rest of your titan friends?"

"Well Gail, to tell you the truth, it's an amazing honour and its very humbling to be honoured like this , we're all very grateful and excited about tonight"

He is such a prick. Robin knew exactly how to work the press and the weathergirls…

"That's great! There's an amazing turn out tonight to celebrate you all, although I did notice we're missing a certain violet bird?"

"Ah yeah...Raven"

"Where is our Raven tonight?"

"Raven is actually looking after this fine City tonight, someone's gotta do it Gail" he flashed the killer smile to her and after a brief glance to the camera, he excused himself.

An itch started to niggle at the back of Robin's mind, Raven…

-Jump City Central Square-

"…and there you have it from the man himself, live from the red carpet!"

Raven had just watched the annoyingly happy Gail Winters interview Robin.

*_someone noticed I wasn't there…_*

Raven almost felt a fondness for Gail grow after all she seemed to be the only person on the planet who noticed she was missing

Deciding she didn't want to see any more of what she was missing Raven phased through an office block and floated across the railway tracks to the large industrial park near the docks.

This wasn't part of Raven's usual rounds but considering she was the only one on guard, everything was accountable to her tonight.

The industrial park was full of rows of huge warehouse that cast an eerie shadow over the entire yard, the kind of darkness that messed with your head

Luckily, Raven was more that accustomed to the dark, it was what she was best adapted for.

The cool breeze coming in from the harbour made the hairs on Raven's neck stand on end.

Floating through the silence, Raven saw that everything was fine. Until…

Shattering glass accompanied by a red, flashing light and blaring siren jilted Raven into fight mode, it was the warehouse at the end of the row she has just checked, flying at top speed she saw three assailant's fleeing the scene.

One was caught in her black energy, slammed into a wall and knocked unconscious before he could break into a sprint.

The other two dropped the expendable cargo and split.

The second of the three was ready for a fight, but sadly for him he was punching above his weight and was a heap of bruising limbs in a matter of minutes.

-Jump City Museum-

Robin sat, twirling the stem of his champagne flute between his fingers, the same as he'd been doing for the last ten minutes straight.

"Ok, dude STOP!" said Cyborg slamming his hand on top of Robins to stop the monotonous movement.

"Sorry man…"

"So? What's eating you?" questioned Cy, sipping his scotch.

"It's just Raven ya know…do you think I was too harsh asking her to patrol tonight?" said Robin earnestly

The table had turned to their leader with expressions varying from 'bitch please' to 'don't make me hurt you'

"AHAHAHAHA!" Cy burst out

"Rob, for a smart guy you sure are stupid, you were a grade A jackass, Raven was crushed dude! Anyone could have seen that, you need to stop living in your head so much" concluded Cy with the rest of the titans giving nods of agreement.

"And while you're trying not to 'live in your head' maybe take it out of your ass while you're at it" Karen deadpanned, sipping her champagne coolly.

Robin was taken aback but then realised what had happened

"Sooo, I should call her?"

"No. you should sky write an apology and grovel while begging for forgiveness" Karen levelled again, cross armed and furious while the other girls gave stony glares in agreement.

"But calling is a start"

"Right …well I'll go do that" Robin slipped out into the garden.

*_damn_* he thought *_Karen is scary as hell…_*

-The industrial park-

Raven was closing in on the third assailant; she could feel his fear, practically smelling it in the air.

He had run himself into a dead end.

"Please, don't…"

"I'm not afraid to hit a girl ya know!" he shouted into the darkness as Raven closed in

"Well, neither am I" she smirked, her cape billowing behind her, casting a huge shadow, covering him in darkness.

"Hello my dear Raven" a clear, cool voice that could cut diamonds, sliced through the night.

"_**Slade**_"

"Yes dear, it's been a while"

*_no long enough_*

"Dude, we got the stuff then an alarm went off, you said we wouldn't get caught!" the third assailant talked at Slade who was still looking at Raven, he simply turned and stared.

"You, were merely a diversion, to lure the real prize here"

*_Prize?_* Raven thought, the feeling of the ominous growing

"We…I want my money!" his voice faltered mid-sentence as fear got the better of him.

"Your _payment_ is escaping with your life, run."

He briefly considered a return comment then sprinted.

Fully prepared to fight, Raven powered up.

"Oh my dear, there's no need to be so…aggressive" he said lightly

CRACK

A blow to the lower back took Raven to her knees; she was winded from the unexpected assault.

It had been one of Slade's cronies that had slipped by unnoticed.

"ARRGH!" Raven's cry of pain, rung out through the docks

"Now, now my dear there is no need for the dramatics, is there?"

"What…do you _want_ Slade?" she hissed his name

"Hmm…good question my dear"

He knelt before her; she could hear his even breathing

"Too. Watch . him. Squirm."

*_Him? What is he talking about?_*

"I don't…"

CRACK

Another blow, as his gloved hand glanced heavily over her temple , Raven's head smashed the concrete. The stinging was met with a warm trickling of blood, forming a pool at a scary pace.

"You...won't… get…away with..this" her words were muffled and difficult to form as her vision saw spots and reality slipped away.

A crystal clear laugh rang out softly.

"Oh but, I fully intend to" his voice was in her ear.

The last thing Raven heard before losing touch was the shrill sound of her communicator ringing…

o0o0o0o0o0o what will happen to Raven ? Hmmm that is the question :3 , pwease review and let me know if you want more :D

Also the rating may go up later on in the chapter


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello there , sorry it's been forever and a day since I've updated but I've been on vacation and working etc. but it's finally here , I hope it was worth the wait.**

**Please review I'd love to hear what you think and if there's anything you'd like to see.**

**Stealing from the Robin's Nest**

**Chapter 4**

3 more rings and then the line went dead. Again.

That was the third time Raven's communicator had rung out. This wasn't like her, although it was possible he was deliberately not picking up because it was him.

Sigh.

Robin snapped shut his communicator and put it back in his tux pocket alongside his expandable "pop up" boa staff and emergency superhero stuff.

Sighing one last time, Robin stood up straight and tweaked his perfectly aligned bowtie, taking a deep breathe.

Walking back through the French glass doors to his table with the rest of the titans, Robin's carefully trained face portrayed no hint of the emotions bubbling below the mask.

"Well?" said Cyborg, as Karen stared on stony faced.

"Nothing." Robin grabbed his bourbon as he spoke.

"That's not like her…" Jinx spoke in a soft, brittle voice – like a breeze would shatter her.

"You don't think something happened…do you?" her pink eyebrows knit together with worry.

"Nah, Rae can handle herself and if things got out of control she would have called"

"Or, she's pisssed and isn't answering because _**you**_ were the one calling?" said Karen, slightly slurred but still sharp.

Robin drained his tumbler of bourbon, breathing hard through his nose – he was enjoying himself less and less.

"Well, whatever guys the fireworks are starting, let's go" said Cyborg, diffusing the situation hanging in the air.

"Dude, they're at the bridge, we can't see 'em from here!" said Beast Boy

"They're streaming them live on huge screens in the garden doofus"

"Oh cool! C'mon, I wanna get a good spot!"

"Okay, let's go troll" said Cy, smirking at B.B's childlike mannerisms

"You coming Rob?"

"Yep" he grabbed another neat bourbon from a passing waiter's tray "let's go" he followed up with as little enthusiasm as possible.

The night sky was clear, but pitch black, the city lights meant you couldn't see the stars unless you were far out.

The huge screens were hung either side of a wooden gazebo in the centre of the garden.

"What's taking so looong?" whined B.B

"B.B, this is a delicate, technological process that takes time, expertise and -"

"Blah!Blah!Blah! I wanna see stuff blow up!" B.B never did have time for Cyborg's 'man of technology' lectures, Robin smirked at their antics.

A high pitched ringing rang out disorientating the audience, the screens began to flicker.

"What's going on?"

"I dunno man, tech difficulties I guess?" said Cy

Then the screens crackled with static snow, flickering to technicolor life – severing the last stitch in a perfect night that was about the blow up.

-Elsewhere in Jump-

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Raven fought through the pain clouding her mind, trying to file away every twist and turn and snippet of muffled words.

As two rough sets of hands dragged her limp body down one of several dark corridors, casting beams on fluorescent lighting periodically through the cloth covering her face, Raven's knees and shins felt like they had been run over miles of sand paper and stung like hell.

CREAK!

The sound of a heavy door, metal scrapping along concrete, then slamming shut.

"Over there"

"Do it! It's what he said!"

*_He?_*

Raven was suddenly struck by a pain in her temple *_that explains the memory issues_*

She was sat roughly down onto something cold and metallic.

The place smelt of copper, creosote and damp.

*_Could be under the docks? - No, too conspicuous*_

Her wrists were encircled in heavy metal shackles, she struggled but several hands restrained her.

After a minute of tense silence her shackled hands were hoisted above her head and set on a hook, twisting her arms in an unnatural position, so much so that it felt possible they might disjoint from their sockets.

"ARRGH!" she cried out against the gag in her mouth

The restraints were set so high she barely remained in the seat.

Another creak - *_the door_*

Raven tensed, as whoever entered the room caused all the rough handed mercenaries to go silent.

"Is everything ready as I asked?" Slade's slick voice floated though Raven's aching mind, just as a wave of nausea hit – the probable cause no doubt.

The metal in his steel toed boots clicked off the concrete floor as he approached, then more silence.

Raven waited *_steady breathing, no signs of weakness_*

He ripped the cloth bag over her head and the blinding scream of fluorescent tube lighting split Raven's vision, as she squinted in the harsh, white glare, Slade's silhouette came into focus then his whole entirety, she hadn't realised how close he was before.

"Hello, my dear." She avoided his gaze, still seeing spots.

"I hope you grow to like our little enclave here, as I plan for you to be here a while."

"Well, the rest of your pitiful life anyway" he added casually

Raven's ears pricked up *_what is he planning?_* her eyes followed him.

"Oh, woken up have we?" she stared at him as if she were staring down the barrel of a loaded gun, like she had times before, without fear.

"Well, there's enough time to explain all that later my dear Raven"

"Then again -" he laughed a heartless note "That depends on how long you hold out, doesn't it? Cope well under pressure do we?"

Raven projected a neutral glare.

"Now, now dear don't pout! Smile! You're going to be on camera!"

Raven squinted in confusion *_What is he talking about? Why -_*

"Oh yes! Broadcast live across Jump City airways, every monitor with Wi-Fi access will be watching, free of charge, free of choice."

He made it sound like he was giving away free health care.

That was when Raven saw it, her surroundings had finally come into focus, the harsh lighting wasn't the industrial fluorescents as she'd thought, it was a studio light.

Beside it was a high tech camera on a tripod hooked up to a computer sever connected to a network of switch boards and circuits.

The mercenaries were a mix of armed thugs and computer programmers, most likely intelligence specialists with transferrable skills, the skills that had brought them to work for Slade.

They were adjusting lighting and tests microphones, it reminded Raven of the select few times Robin had made her do press coverage, it had never come naturally to her.

*_Robin…_* the thought hit like a wave crashing over Raven , then rage as the dots connected and she realised it was him that lead her to this *_no, he didn't mean for this to happen*_ , *_he is selfish and arrogant , it's his fault!* _Rage and Rationality were having a debate in Raven's head and this wasn't the time.

"Now, now my dear you'll need to be livelier than this for our viewers! Luckily I have a few of my lovely assistants here to help"

Slade turned and Raven followed the arc of his arm to where he was pointing , a table flanked by two mercenaries laid with a barrage of pointed knives and other ominous looking metal instruments glinting viscously in the light.

Slade slinked over to the table and his hand hovered over his toys before settling on something Raven hadn't seen, it was a thick black roll of something? Wires?

Slade unfurled the roll and it hit the floor with a crack, turning towards Raven she saw what he was holding so gleefully, it was a black leather whip. Tightly bound and in the hands of someone eager to inflict. Her eyes became wide.

"There now my dear, that's what we want to see, your fear."

"Sir" stuttered one of the weedier looking programmers, hardly a fellow you'd associate with this kinda of business "We're ready to go live, whenever you are"

"Excellent" Slade turned to face Raven, the lighting catching is titanium masked face casting an unnerving shadow in Raven's direction.

"Now we can't have you looking like this on camera like this my dear, I think you need some colour in your cheeks, don't you?"

Before Raven had even processed the repercussions of his words, Slade had struck her cheek with the back of his hand, the skin stung and became hot; Raven could feel the crushed capillaries weeping and blood rushing to the surface to form a purple bruise.

Slade straightened the cuff of his suit as if Raven had intentionally skewed it.

"Well, that's better, I think we're ready"

The weedy programmer stood awkwardly, holding his clipboard with white knuckles, staring on in fear and discomfort with his young features contorted like he'd felt the slap himself.

"Well? I meant **now**." Slade voice lost its bemused quality for the first time since entering the room, it now carried an edge.

The programmer snapped back to life and went to the control panel, putting on a head set.

"Quiet on set, we're all clear, live in 5, 4…" he mouthed 3, 2, 1, action and the camera blinked to life.

This was it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello my lovely's , I'm going to try and update as much as I can , I got some really lovely reviews from the last upload which was very encouraging , thank you so much to anyone who reviewed , it means a lot , its nice to know there are actually people on the other side of the story reading along, so a sincere thank you to you all :).**

**Please review , let me know what you think and if there's anything you'd like to see or just any comments you have , it's always interesting to hear what you think :).**

**Oooo one last thing , the rating went up because I think I was too lenient with myself when I first posted but oh well the higher the rating the better the story some might say aha**

**Stealing from the Robin's Nest**

**Chapter 5**

The screen flickered. The crowd watched on, waiting for an explosive end to a lovely evening, they had no idea.

The screen went black as the camera steadied.

An oil-slick voice greeted the crowd "Hello, citizens of Jump City"

Robin's eyes went wide and his jaw tensed instinctively for battle, along with every other muscle in his body. His hand clawed his empty tumbler so tight, it shattered.

No one in the bewildered crowd noticed.

The team rallied automatically.

"I'm here to provide tonight's entertainment" the slick voice continued, the crowd seemed to sigh in a relieved breath. Completely unaware of who was speaking, thinking this was an elaborate ploy to present the fireworks.

If only they knew.

"Rob, dude what's happening?" B.B asked gently, confused.

"I dunno B.B, I dunno" it was Cyborg that answered, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Robin was absorbed in Slade's every word, grasping at every shred of detail that might help get the bastard once and for all.

The fact that he was still out there, free, sickened every breath Robin took.

"Now I do believe you were expecting fireworks tonight ladies and gentlemen"

"But I thought" Robin could hear the sadistic smile change the rhythm of his words "that I'd show you something simpler, darker…something pure"

*_What is this crazy son of a bitch doing?!*_ thought Robin

"We have in our possession such a pure, dark thing. Now this is something very rare indeed, there has never been such a thing as this in captivity before, but _**we **_have **succeeded**!" his voice rose to a deafening crescendo.

"Behold. The lovely, Raven." as he spoke her name a blinding studio light exploded on causing the camera to adjust to the new found contrast, and there, strung up like a helpless animal awaiting slaughter, was Raven.

Her body was like a ragdoll on a string and Slade was the puppeteer. Her arms up so high that her legs dangled barley touching the floor, her weight barely on the seat.

Robin's reaction was immediate but in turn slow and controlled.

He wanted to rip through the screen and kill Slade, saving Raven.

He wanted to scream because that wasn't possible.

A small part of him wanted to cry.

But what all of him knew was that this was as much about saving Raven as it was about saving face. The team were exposed and vulnerable, he must remain calm and know what to do. He always knew what to do.

*_First time for everything_* thought a small voice in his head.

"Cyborg, work in breaking that connection, NOW!" his voice was rigid with feeling.

"Rob" Cyborg seemed dazed "I don't have any of my tech here and if we break the connection we risk losing a trace on it"

'Losing the trace' sounded a lot like 'losing her'.

"Dammit!" Robin whispered a shout, his eyes never breaking contact with the screen.

"We should let the cops know what's going on" B.B offered

"What?!" Robin spun to face him

"NO, we work on this, alone. It's an internal affair, my team, my turf."

B.B stood looking terrified as Robin watched the screen again, the anger slowing his reflexes.

"Let's begin, shall we?" Slade asked the crowd

Slade spun and kicked the chair out from under Raven. The sudden shift of weight from the chair to her feet shocked her and all her weight dangled from her strung arms.

"ARRGGHH!" Raven cried out.

It chilled the crowd to a silence, Karen and Jinx started to cry. Karen standing perfectly straight with quiet tears tracking threw her makeup, Jinx sobbing quietly into her chest, unable to watch anymore.

"Get up!" Slade slapped Raven's other cheek, forcing her head back, revealing the purple welt forming on her left cheek, a gasp was released from the crowd.

"No?" Raven did not respond.

"Need a helping hand do we?" Nothing.

"Crank it up" Slade turned to someone of camera.

A medieval sound of metal cogs crushing against each other erupted from the background.

Raven began to be hoisted upward, tightening her restraints.

She squealed another strangled cry.

Her feet found the floor, just barley. She was balancing on the balls of her feet, her hands high above her head.

"That's better."

"See what happens when we co-operate my dear?" Slade circled her, like a lion circling helpless prey, toying with it.

Slade reached for the whip, it glinted dully in the studio light.

"Well now that you've had a taster, the real show will begin shortly" Slade stared dead down the camera.

"Oh and in case you're worried about missing anything, every monitor, T.V and computer in the City is being transmitted with our show – courtesy of yours truly" he even had the audacity to take a bow.

The screen flickered to the Jump City police seal with the word 'justice' blacked out and 'The anarchy will return in 5 minutes for your viewing pleasure'.

The crowd hurried panicked through the doors to get home and lock their doors and watch their televisions.

"Rob! Rob! ROBIN!"

Robin turned like he hadn't heard Cyborg "Everyone to the cars now! GO!"

Everyone dispersed in various stages of shock and denial.

The team fought through the waves of people, only to be bombarded by the press, who pounced like ravenous carnivores on a fresh slab of meat.

The usually sunshiny and lovely Gail Winters was now clawing over fellow news anchors to get a line in from the team about this wondrous nugget of media platinum.

Even the dark hue of the bullet proof tinted glass in the tank like cars that protected the team couldn't stop the media storm of lightning flashes outside of the windows.

-Titan Tower-

Robin burst through the doors into the living room and typed the emergency over ride code to kick start every system in the tower. He had Cy write that into the software after Slade's last major attack to maximise search time and fulfil a maximum turnover of new information coming in.

The rest of the team followed shortly after some looking dazed, others looking angry, all different fronts for coping.

"Cyborg! I want you to work on getting that off NOW!"

"We have less than two minutes before it goes live again, I'll have to wait until the signal output goes to maximum before I can start putting a trace on it and it'll take at least that long to triangulate a signal projection"

"We **cannot** have **that** broadcast all over the god damn city!"

"Rob I'm not saying in not trying! This is a labyrinth of firewalls, pop-up bombs – a lot of high tech security!"

"_**What**_ are you saying?" Robin's temper was wavering, his words growing sharper with each syllable.

"It's airtight." The whole room seemed to stop breathing

"_**AIRTIGHT?!**_"

"**ROB**! **STOP**! I'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR THIRTY SECONDS!"

"_We are all_ worried ok! _We are all_ _trying_ to help and _we will not stop_ until she is back here, ok? And** YOU** and your damn yelling _is not_ helping anything!"

Cyborg seldom lost his cool especially with Robin but Raven was a matter of the heart for Cy , he was the closest thing to a brother she had , the only constant male figure in her life , it was killing him that this happened and Robin losing his shit was not helping anyone.

"Rob. It'll be ok, **we will find her**, we will" Cyborg's voice became calm, every word was deliberate and heavy with meaning, but was still the loudest thing in the room of spellbound titans.

He went to place his hands on Robin's shoulder but he jerked away skittishly.

"I want everyone working in this, day and night until we…find her –ill draw up plans for patrols and we can-"

"You are full of such **shit**, you know that?" It was Karen that interrupted, she was boiling over, everyone could feel the tension rolling off her in waves.

"Karen, please…" It was Cyborg that tried to step in; there had been enough emotional outbursts already this evening.

"No!NO! You know what? This is **YOUR** fault!"

"You're just a selfish, ignorant little PRICK ROBIN!" Karen's voice had run into a roar.

"You know what Karen?" Robin turned slowly, his every word loaded.

"You've had too much to drink, **AGAIN**! Go do the responsible thing and sleep it off for Christ sake"

"Oooh! I've had too much to drink? That doesn't matter what I said any less true, if anything happens to her, I'm holding **you** responsible."

Cyborg had moved behind Karen placing his strong hands on her slender shoulders to calm her and if need be, restrain her. Karen dropped her tensed arm pointing a perfectly manicured finger at their wounded leader.

"Get _her_ out of here, **now**."

No one moved.

"**NOW**!"

The outburst jolted everyone into a sudden urgency.

Cyborg walked Karen to her room.

"Everyone get changed and regroup in the comm. room in 5. Go."

He walked out of the room, if he could have slammed the metal air lock doors, he would have.

**Thanks for reading :) Please review**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone :) ok firstly I'm sorry about the taking forever to update :( also I don't think this is the best chapter but ill let you decide :)**

**Also I got an AMAZING review from a guest reader called Kate , so in reply to that - Hello Kate , firstly , you and your husband's jobs sound AMAZEBALLS ! I'm jealous :3 I actually want to pursue the same route as your husband too :) , secondly, this sounds weird but considering you're so young I think its amazing that you've found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with already , sorry if you thought that was strange but I just thought that it's really cute :) and thirdly thank you so much for that amazing review x**

**Stealing from the Robin's Nest**

**Chapter 6**

Robin sat on the edge of his edge king sized bed.

His tux, shedded and discarded like trash, in place of his uniform on the hard wood floor.

*_This is it_* *_This is your make or break moment_*

With a stiff breath, Robin stood tall and made for the comm. room.

On his way down the hall he passed Karen's room, with Cyborg slipping out the door.

"She's asleep."

Robin kept walking, Cy jogged to match his long strided pace.

"Ok, listen." Cy outstretched a half metal arm to halt Robin's path.

Robin's head turned stiffly, like it were on rails.

"You need to understand something **right now**."

"We are **all** worried and scared shitless" Robin could swear his human eye was teary

"But we know how to do our jobs and **no one** needs you talking down to them" his voice was even, he didn't shout.

"The way you handled that situation was unacceptable Rob." "We're a family; we don't treat each other like that. Ever."

Cyborg stared straight into Robin's mask, obviously thinking he had locked Robin's eyes in contact but Robin averted his shielded gaze to the wall behind his head, unable to look at him directly, for the small fear that he might crumble under the scrutiny.

Rob hated being put in place, its why his and Bruce's alliance crumbled in the end.

Cyborg stepped back.

"I'll see you in there" he muttered as he walked away.

A deep sigh.

*_Titans go…* _Robin thought with little life.

The comm. room was filled with chatter and scattered silences.

Everyone died to silence when Robin entered and took his place at the head of the table.

"Let's get right to it."

"We're going to work this in shifts; everyone needs to be well rested so we can fight this at our best"

"Titan's east will take the first sleeper shift, effective immediately after the meeting." Speedy, Aqualad and Mas y Menos, nodded affirmative.

"Jinx you're with us."

*_Since we're down one_* Robin thought sadly

"It's…" Robin paused to glance at his watch, "11:37pm. Now, the sleeping shifts will run for 12 hours a piece, giving enough time for food et cetera"

"You guys will be back on task at 11:37am"

"Raven has been missing for approximately two hours." everyone in the room sat a little straighter in their chairs at the mention of her name.

"We need to face the reality that she could be anywhere, but considering the broadcasting power and range of the frequencies, it's safe to say she's within city limits." The team relaxed slightly after that last line.

"Cyborg, you'll be head of tracking the signal and trying to securely block it from public domain."

"We'll have at least one team of two people put roaming the city at all times, searching but also letting the criminals know we're still keeping an eye."

"We'll need someone to brief the city police, but that's it. A courtesy call and then let them know we're handling it."

"I'll handle the media." They were all staring at him, waiting. The scrutiny was starting to unnerve him.

"You're all dismissed."

"I'll meet the first task team in the living room for further briefing and to set up operations, it's the best place for dealing with this"

Robin shuffled papers lying on the desk, turning to the file cabinet behind him.

Soft footsteps approached him.

"Will we find her?" Starfire.

"I…of course we will Star." he said assuringly.

"Robin…"she breathed his name, encircling him in her slender arms, around his waist and chest.

He sighed deeply, looking down at his papers. There were nights he had spent with Starfire, but that's all they were. Nights spent. No feelings spent. At least on his part…

"Star I…" he moved to lift her hands from him, thinking the embrace meant than he wanted.

"Promise me we will find her." her voice was strained and furious.

"I promise Star" Robin placed his hand over hers and her shoulders shook slightly.

"Hey Rob you-"

"Oh shit, um, I mean, s-sorry, I just…" BB blushed, getting flustered while trying to find somewhere to look.

"What is it BB?" Robin strode out of Starfire's embrace and quickly towards the door.

"Slade, he's back on air."

"Let's go."

Robin was already out the door and making his way down the hall while BB stood sheepishly as Starfire wiped her mascara streaming eyes.

-Living Room-

"What's going on?"

No one answered; they were all transfixed on the screen.

"Hello loyal viewers." his voice was nauseating.

"So glad you could join us, the fun will begin in a moment; let's just make sure my lovely assistant is ready."

Slade stepped back from the camera to reveal Raven, still strung like a puppet, the bruising on her face had darkened and spread. She looked gaunt in the harsh lighting.

"Cy, are you recording this for analysis?"

"Yeah." Cyborgs voice sounded detached from his body as his hands worked away on his laptop, his gaze never once breaking away from the screen.

"Well, let's get down to it, shall we?" he pulled the whip taut between his two outstretched hands.

"I don't believe in taunting you viewers with the promise of…action and then stringing you along like some ragged puppets" he said circling Raven, eyeing her like she was a racehorse for sale.

CRACK!

The whip in is hands went from hanging limply to breaking the sound barrier, slicing through the air and the whole way down Raven's back.

Raven's body jumped forward in shock, determined to escape the source of pain, her mouth in a wide arch, the pain was so much, the sound was trapped in her throat.

No amount of screaming could portray the feeling of the callus leather whip ripping through her skin, the frayed leotard settling on the fresh wounds, sizzling.

Raven's eyes were wide, teary and staring straight down the lens of the camera.

-Titan Tower-

Everyone in the room held their breath.

The crack of the whip echoed of the walls and in Robin's mind.

Raven was a frozen statue of pain ridden agony, and it felt like her eyes were locked on his, threw the screen.

* * *

**Review , please and thank you x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey , sorry it's taken so long to update a mixture of writers block and getting re-obsessed with drawing...but yeah no excuses. This chapter is a mix of a plot bunny and something I had been playing around with to add in and this just seemed the only place it would be good , so yes I hope everyone enjoys and also please review , your opinions matter to me :) x**

**Stealing from the Robin's Nest**

**Chapter 7**

-Titan Tower Roof Top-

Robin sat on the ledge of the roof top, legs dangling with no fear, over the edge.

Sitting there a flash back played in his mind…

_It was an unseasonably cold October night and the Titans had gathered for an early Halloween party._

_Robin wanted to step out for breather, and considering every nook and cranny of the tower seemed to be filled with the entangled bodies of drunken titan hook-up's the only safe haven left was the roof._

_The roof was a place of calm, like the eye of a storm; from up here you could see everything, hear the wind, and smell the clean river brine._

_A push too hard on the usually temperamental roof door made a slightly intoxicated Robin stumble out onto the roof top, breaking the silence._

_And there was Raven sitting on the ledge of the roof top with no fear. Raven never seemed scared of anything._

_*That's weird, I didn't see Rae leave?* he thought _

_She turned at the sound of the metal door scraping against the gravel._

"_Sorry, I…just needed some air"_

_Turning her gaze back to whatever she was glaring at, she said "Don't apologise" her voice was calm, just like after she meditates._

"_Mind if I sit?" she shook her head in response._

"_Be careful sitting on that ledge Rae" _

_She chuckled, "I can fly bird boy, remember?"_

"_Yeah, but still…"_

"_That's cute." _

"_What is?" Robin had never heard Raven refer to anything as cute, ever._

"_That you worry."_

"_Of course I worry Rae, you're a titan, I have to worry about you."_

_She sighed a deep sigh, "Yeah right…of course." She moved to get up._

"_No," he held her delicate wrist "Sit with me" giving her that smile. The sincere smile that only made rare appearances, how could she resist?_

_Sitting back down, the nylon petti coat of her dress crinkled, Raven and Cyborg had gone as Bonnie and Clyde. And although she'd never admit it Raven loved to dress up, she had really nailed the costumes, right down to the detail._

"_You look stupid with that mask on, ya know? Raven said dryly with a hint of a smirk._

_Robin and Starfire had teamed up and gone as James bond and 'Bond girl', Starfire didn't care which one, it just meant an expensive low cut dress._

_So there Robin was with his Bond tux and bowtie, with a toy gun in his breast pocket ,his ever present mask perfect on his chiselled face._

_He laughed, "Ya think so?"_

"_I know so." She was still staring out onto the skyline but Robin could see her smile._

"_Is that so?" he laughed back_

"_Yeah. Yeah it is." Raven started to laugh too_

"_And why is that?" _

"_Because…because I said so." she turned to face him now_

_They both erupted in infectious laughter, a mixture of alcohol and genuine amusement._

_When they settled, they were dangerously close, when Raven seemed to catch herself and said "Wanna see something cool?"_

"_Sure" Robin still seemed caught in the moment of sudden closeness._

_Raven lay back on the gravel, staring up at the sky._

"_Uh , Rae ?"_

"_Just do it boy blunder."_

_Robin lay back beside Raven, staring at the sky._

"_Rae?"_

"_Mm?" she sounded out dreamily._

"_What am I looking at?" _

_With a childish sigh, Raven retorted, "The stars, stooped." like it was the most obvious thing._

_Then the sky seemed to light up as Robin focused on the tiny focal points of light suspended in the sky._

"_Whoa."_

"_Yeah." Robin could hear the smile in her voice._

"_Look, there's the big dipper" she said pointing to the collection of lights "And there's Hercules"_

"_The hero?" _

"_Yeah" she smiled again_

"_Geez if they hand out constellations to heroes maybe I'll get one" Robin said, puffing out his chest._

"_Don't get your hopes up, he was a different breed of hero birdbrain" poking him in the ribs._

"_Geez Rae sounds like you have a crush?"_

"_What if I do bird boy, jealous much?" Raven's eyes widened as soon as she said it but he didn't catch the expression._

"_Pffftt, what's it to you?" he was poking fun, still joking with her._

_She just laughed, he was looking at her with his mock serious face on, when they settled a silence fell and they just lay there and Robin slide his hand into Raven's._

_This was something he did when they had the occasional moment like this, Raven never knew what he thought it meant to her but she just took it at face value enjoying the moment while it briefly lasted._

"_You do this a lot huh Rae?"_

"_What, the stars?"_

"_Yeah"_

"_Yeah, I mean this is one of the only places in the city far enough out so you can see the stars…they're beautiful"_

"_Yeah…" Robin was looking at Raven while she looked up at the sky like she was a millions miles away in the stars._

_She turned to see Robin, yet again dangerously close, smiling at her._

"_I love that" she sighed_

"_What?" he smiled wider, ever the egotist_

"_That smile, it seems like the real you when you smile like that, not the TV guy who grins at that weathergirls…" she concluded looking down, drawing circles in the gravel with her free hand._

_His smile humbled, he was close enough to smell her perfume mingled with the alcohol on her cinnamon breath._

_He looked down at her crimson lips that were parted ever so slightly, he seemed to lean in, she panicked._

"_Rob…"_

"_Shhh" he was almost there, when CREAK…the heavy door opened and a drunken Starfire stumbled out with Speedy in tow_

"_Oh...am, ahaha, we didn't realise this roof was occupied" bursting into another fit of giggles while speedy looked on in a lovesick daze._

_They both sat up quickly having realised what it looked like._

"_Oh, Robin, hi…and friend Raven?" She was confused and her voice hardened as her mind clearly raced to conclusions._

_She dropped Speedy's hand and obviously expecting to be otherwise engaged by now he wandered back down the stairs._

"_Robin, I was looking for you, I…didn't realise you were...am…" the term 'you' seemed inclusive._

"_Robin was just talking to me about a new attack plan, it's really good" Raven replied as Robin floundered._

"_Oh, I thought that…" Starfire reeled, embarrassed by her harsh reaction._

"_I'll be down now Star" Robin fired back, eyes glued to Raven in confused shock._

"_Ok, well I'll be going then…stop by my room later Rob, okay?" the usually coy Starfire became quite the jealous girlfriend type when intoxicated and this blinded her, all she saw were desperate sluts hanging around not trusted best friends._

"_Um…sure" he scratched the back of his head while looking between the two girls, embarrassed by Starfire's open advance._

_When she left and closed the door Robin stood there staring at Raven with a sheepish smile on his face like a child who was caught with his hands in the cookie jar._

"_Rae ah…"_

"_You should go." Her words were clear and calm. Like the eye of a storm , he could see it all._

"_Well I…what?" his confusion growing_

"_Star will be waiting for you."_

"_Yeah…I guess she will." He turned to walk away._

"_This was fun Rae, you know, just us? We should do it again sometime"_

"_Yeah, sure, it's a date bird boy." Her head was turned to half face him and in the moonlit silhouette Robin swore, liquor aside that a silver tear was glistening on her cheek."_

_End Flashback_

*_Wrong choice Dick* _

_*Not again, not this time, I won't leave her again.*_

Robin stood up from the ledge of the rooftop and pulled on the heavy metal door.

There wasn't a star in the sky tonight.

It seemed a massive cloud was hanging over Titan Tower and it was weighing on Robin's mind.

-Living Room-

"Cyborg , report." Robin's voice was alert

"Well ah…" Cyborg paused mid-sentence due to a massive yawn which seemed to start a chain reaction across the room.

"Basically we've been working on isolating the main frequency wavelength and triangulating the source but we're having trouble pinning it down, he's bouncing his signal off twelve different IP address ranges to confuse us and-"

"In English Cy" Said a frustrated Robin, pinching the bridge of his nose; he could feel a migraine muscling its way into his mind.

"I'm working on it but nothing yet boss." Cyborgs tone was sombre.

"Ok man, tag out and go get some sleep and recharge, come back with a fresh look at it."

As if on cue the titans east appeared, rested and ready to take over the posts of their weary titan friends.

"Rob, man, have you slept? Or eaten anything that's not coffee?" his hand on Robin's shoulder, he was looking at his exhausted leader trying to get a read on him, that damn mask covered so much.

"Cy, I'm fine. Please just go, sleep."

Cyborg knew when to take his leave when it came to Robin, he knew he was blaming himself for this and he would kill himself to find Raven or at least die trying…

He knew the fragile quiver that ran through the undercurrent of his voice all too well.

"Ok man…" Cyborg dragged heavy feet off to his bed, followed by a flat-lined Beast Boy and Starfire.

*_Jesus Christ_*

Karen had just appeared in front of Robin. *_Yep, that's definitely a migraine*_

Pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee, Robin turned to face her.

"Sobered up?" he said dryly sipping his caffeine.

She snorted, reaching in a nearby cupboard for some aspirin.

"I stand by what I said." She stood staring at him.

He didn't answer.

"I mean it Robin."

"I never doubted that you meant it Karen. I was just shocked it took you this long to get the balls to say it." He didn't look up, she scorned at his indignation.

Then she did something that shocked him. Her face turned soft, her voice sad.

"If she doesn't come back, I'm holding you responsible. And with that I'll be handing in my badge."

He continued to stare at the pages and maps spread on the breakfast bar.

"We do what we do to help people. Watching the people I love get hurt isn't what I signed up for."

And with that she walked out of the kitchen. Robin thanked god for his mask for the countless time in his career, the shock in his eyes would have startled anyone who could see.


	8. Chapter 8

**I wanted to do a more Raven-centric chapter this time and there are a few things that I wanted to add in from the very beginning when I first thought of this story and I hope they fit as seamlessly together as I hoped. **

**As always I hope you enjoy and review please :) I love hearing what you think x**

**Stealing from the Robin's Nest**

**Chapter 8**

-Somewhere in Jump-

Raven was still missing. Still in the clutches of Slade.

He had grown bored of his whip and was now mulling over an idea of what to do next. He was talking quietly to one of the hired nerds from behind the camera.

Raven squinted through the lights, too exhausted to lift her sore head atop her bruising and tender neck, she was sure she had whip lash but that was the least of her worries.

Raven was sweating and freezing all at the same time which was making her think perhaps Slade has poisoned his whip with some form of toxin, she wouldn't put it past him.

The wound burned unconditionally and her frayed leotard stuck to the fresh oozing wounds increasing the endless stinging.

Ravens body had never felt so much pain simultaneously in her entire existence; this brought new realms of depth to her understanding of the word 'excruciating'.

The hired nerd can back with what looked like a thermos cup and handed it to Slade "Just as I asked?" he stared down the nerd and he nodded before scuttling away.

*_What a jackass, bitching about his coffee…_* thought an assuming Raven.

"Excellent." his tone was chipper as he smelt the contents of the flask.

"Sorry to keep you waiting my dearest Raven, I've brought you a treat." His voice was dark.

*_What the…?_* he moved behind her, unscrewing the lid.

"You were getting a little…well boring my dear; I thought this might perk you up." And with that he poured the liquid down her back, making sure to get ever lashing.

Salt and water.

Boiling water, to be specific.

Jumping forward Raven screamed against the cloth gag binding her jaw, the smell of the liquid made her sick, burning her nostrils.

She felt every skin cell wither and blister into another layer of damage. Her wounds burned like molten lava, she could feel the salt-water mixture dripping down her back, dragging with it a new flow of blood coursing from her wounds.

For the first time since her capture a single tear broke free from her eyes , tracking its way down her now grubby face through the makeup so perfectly applied only hours before.

"Ahhh…" Slade sounded exhilarated.

"There it is."

He raised his hand to her face, she flinched instinctively.

He caught the tear on his finger tip and held it to the light to look at it.

"She's close." His back was still to the camera but she knew exactly who he was talking to.

"She won't last much longer than this Robin, do try harder, I do so enjoy watching you fail."

Then Slade did something Raven did not expect, he removed her gag, allowing her to breathe easier.

He pulled up a chair; the screeching of the metal on the concrete tore through Raven's hazy mind like a siren, and sat down.

He casually crossed his legs and stared at her, like he were an expectant talk show host waiting for a ground breaking scandal.

"You know, it's rude not to make conversation with your host."

His sarcasm was so dry she could have laughed.

"How'd…how did you know he would send me?" the words stuck in her desert dry throat.

Slade's head snapped to attention at the sound of her tiny, forceful voice.

"Oh _**my dear!**_" he bellowed out through a laugh.

"Can't you _**see? **_**It will **_**always**_** be**_** you**_** he sends!**" he jumped out of his chair and was suddenly in her face.

"**Are you so **_**far**_** gone that you can't see that he **_**doesn't care**_**?!**" he slapped her cheek forcing her head back, forcing her to look at him.

"He. Doesn't. Care…it will always be, you." His voice settled and came to a gentle crescendo as he grabbed a fist full of her hair to make sure she was looking in his eyes.

Raven's eyes filled for the countless time, he made a noise of disgust in the back of his throat, pushing her face away.

He was standing with his back to her, hands folded behind his back, in front of the camera.

"You know, I didn't think you'd break this easily."

"That'd I'd wear you down so fast, that the…reality of your pitiful life would hit home so quickly."

Her silence hung in the air.

"You know, a great man once said 'create a lie, make it big, tell it often and people will believe it'"

She snorted.

"I thought it was below even _**you**_ to quote Hitler, Slade."

"Hmmm…" he mused, "Then, you don't know me at all my dear." She could hear his smile.

-Titans Tower-

"…_**he doesn't care?!**__"_ the slap rang out through the room.

"_He. Doesn't. Care…it will always be, you."_

The TV was alight with Raven's face, Robin could see the hurt in her eyes, he felt it ricochet inside his chest and felt it wrap itself around his heart.

His mouth was hanging open in shock and the slight intuition he might be sick.

It was rare something could move Robin to this but he couldn't stand the sound of Slade's voice or the sight of Raven's beautiful face contorted in such pain.

He did the only thing he could think of.

He ran.

"Rob? Robin!" Cyborg called after him.

Robin hadn't run away from anything since he was nine years old. He'd never been as afraid in his life. But not fear for himself, for fear of loss. The fear of losing Raven had caught his heart in a vice tight grip and it wasn't letting go.

He burst out onto the roof, his lungs felt like they were closing up; the air was forced out of his body.

"_She won't last much longer than this Robin, do try harder, I so enjoy watching you fail."_

_*if Raven were here she'd know what to do_* _*if Raven were here she'd know what to do_* it was the only thought in his mind. It ran in circles leaving tracks.

He was on his knees, trying to regain his breath when Cyborg found him, "Rob, dude what happened back there? You just freaked and-"

Cyborg approached Robin slowly, "Dude, you're a mess, when was the last time you slept? Or ate anything?"

"I don't know…I just don't know…I" Robin's voice began to shake, his breathe began to run away from him again.

"Hey, hey, chill dude, its ok" Cyborg held Robin's shoulders and his ever strong leader collapsed in his arms, quivering and pale.

Cyborg let Robin calm down, knowing he was broken to the bone, this was never a side anyone saw in their leader; he didn't even think Robin himself saw this side of himself.

After a moment or two Robin caught himself and sat up, "Dude I..."

"Don't, man you don't have to explain anything, I get it."

"No, you don't! I lost her! I'm supposed to be able to-"

"Rob, this is not your fault. What you're supposed to do is lead. And you can't do that like this, you need to sleep at least."

After a deep breathe Robin replied, "You're right Cy, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise man, I know this is getting to you, it's her after all." Cyborg always seems to be able to get an excellent read on everyone, he always knows how you feel before you do, it's often a helpful and annoying quirk.

"C'mon, I'll give you something to help you sleep from the infirmary."

Robin smiled in gratitude; a dreamless sleep would be welcomed with open arms.

-Robin's Room-

Pulling off his t-shirt and pants, Robin was already drifting into a drug hazed sleep by the time his head reached his pillow.

He swore he could still hear Slade's words in his head.

* * *

**Review please :) x**


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